From student to professor: How Rockefeller is shaping the next generation

Headshots of Wenhui Feng, Soyun Jeong, Benjamin T. Kuettel, Poyung Lin, Keith A. Preble and Reveka V. Shteynberg

By Indiana Nash 

ALBANY, N.Y. (Dec. 31, 2025) — The mentorship and interdisciplinary approach at Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy made all the difference for Soyun Jeong.  

“Rockefeller allows students to learn across public administration, public policy and political science, and that intersectionality helped me expand my academic horizons in meaningful ways,” Jeong said. “Most importantly, the faculty were incredibly supportive from the very beginning.” 

Jeong, who graduated from the college with her PhD last summer, secured a faculty position at the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa, teaching graduate-level courses in introduction to public administration and policy analysis and implementation. She is one of many Rockefeller students who has gone on to teach and conduct research at colleges and universities around the globe.  

Keith Preble, who graduated from Rockefeller in 2021, said that the mentorship he found with faculty members had a major impact on his career.  

“Dr. Bryan Early’s mentorship and support in the program were pivotal. Not only did I have an opportunity to publish several times with him, but I worked on a number of PISCES’s (Project on International Security, Commerce and Economic Statecraft) projects both as a student and post-PhD, as well,” Preble said.  

He toured Rockefeller in 2016, while completing a master’s degree with Northwestern University’s public policy and administration online program. Seeing that Early was on the faculty at Rockefeller sealed the deal. 

“I was quite ecstatic that one of my favorite scholars on economic sanctions was at UAlbany. I wasn’t sure that I was going to commit, but I took that as a sign and decided to stick to my plan and pursue my PhD at Rockefeller College,” Preble said.  

After graduating, he worked for the Center for Policy Research at the University at Albany, SUNY before securing a job as visiting assistant professor of political science at Miami University of Ohio. In the fall, he took a teaching assistant professor position at East Carolina University (ECU), teaching in the MS Security Studies graduate program while also serving as a faculty member in ECU’s Flight Path program teaching online courses in international relations, comparative politics and security studies.  

The Flight Path program is an educational initiative and partnership for adult learners with several institutions in the University of North Carolina System and Project Kitty Hawk, an educational nonprofit whose mission is to support adult learners pursuing higher education.  

“Having taught online, studied online, and been an adult learner, I’m really passionate about this educational program at ECU and am excited to help contribute to its growth and longevity,” Preble said.  

Fellow professor Benjamin T. Kuettel, a 2023 graduate, also came to Rockefeller as an adult learner.  

“After working in the mental health and criminal justice fields for half a decade, I wanted to pursue a PhD in Criminal Justice,” Kuettel said. There, he studied longitudinal patterns of drug use and related behaviors and public opinion of drug use and drug policy.  

“Overall, I was very impressed with the variety of classes offered at Rockefeller College and at SUNY Albany. The classes taught me the theoretical knowledge and technical skills that I needed for a rewarding career as an academic,” Kuettel said.  

He also found guidance in Justin Pickett, who was his dissertation advisor.  

“He helped me in countless ways. He is always willing to go above and beyond to help his students,” Kuettel said, adding that he also learned from many other supportive faculty members. 

“They all helped prepare me for my academic career, and for that I am very grateful!” Kuettel said. He is an assistant professor at the State University of New York at Oneonta, teaching classes at the intersection of the criminal justice and mental health systems. 

It was in part the reputation of the School of Criminal Justice that drew Reveka V. Shteynberg to the program. She was recruited to work on a multi-year experimental project examining juvenile and adult true and false plea decisions, and the opportunity was a perfect fit for Shteynberg’s interests. 

Shteynberg graduated in 2020 and is now an assistant professor at the School of Criminology and Criminal Justice and assistant director of research & policy for the Center for the Study of Hate & Extremism at California State University San Bernardino.  

Working with Alissa Pollitz Worden shaped how she approaches her own research. 

“Dr. Worden’s fieldwork-oriented approach, often involving travel across upstate New York to code defendant files in courts, public defender offices, and jails, provided hands-on experience with real-world legal systems and more than a few unforgettable fieldwork stories (including one where I reached into a box of old casefiles and pulled out a desiccated bat),” Shteynberg said, adding that Worden’s mentorship and friendship continues to influence her approach to research and teaching.   

For 2025 graduate Poyung Lin, the decision to come to Rockefeller had a lot to do with its location.  

“Albany is close to NYC and Boston. In terms of living costs, it was also affordable for me. I was also overwhelmed by the professors’ publication records. In addition, my family lives in Albany, which made the decision easy for me,” Lin said.  

While there, Lin studied international relations, with a minor in public policy, and he developed an interest in foreign policy analysis and constructivism. He also held a teaching assistant position and taught independently.  

“It was very tiring to teach while conducting my research at the same time. However, after I was hired by National Chengchi University, I realized how important these experiences were,” Lin said. “They helped me become more empathetic and more confident when interacting with students and other scholars. Moreover, hiring committees do care about teaching experience. Looking back, these hardships were probably the best thing that happened to me during those years.” 

Since graduating, Lin has taken a teaching position at National Chengchi University and will be teaching international Political Economy starting in the Spring 2026 semester. 

Wenhui Feng, who graduated from Rockefeller in 2019 after studying public policy and now teaches at the University of Rhode Island, noted that “the program not only teaches about foundational knowledge and research skills, but also makes a dedicated effort to prepare students to be independent researchers. Upon graduation, I was well prepared to start the journey in academia.” 

Here’s a look at where some of Rockefeller’s recent PhD alumni are teaching now:  

  • Tzuhao (Howard) Chen, who graduated with a PhD in public administration and policy in 2025, is an assistant professor at Florida International University. 
  • Shaina Herman, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2023, is an assistant professor at Sam Houston State University.
  • Audrey Hickert, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2019, is an assistant professor at the University of Cincinnati.
  • Hyewon Kang, who graduated with a PhD in public policy in 2021, is an assistant professor at Hanyang University.
  • Megan Kennedy, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2018, is an assistant teaching professor at Northeastern University. 
  • Jeanee Miller, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2020, is an assistant professor at Old Dominion University. 
  • Kirstin Morgan, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2018, is an assistant professor at Appalachian State University.
  • Melissa Noel, who graduate with a PhD in criminal justice in 2020, is an assistant professor at Temple University.
  • Rachel Novick, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2024, is an assistant professor at the University of New Haven.
  • Youngjoo Park, who graduated with a PhD in public administration and policy in 2017, is an associate professor at the University of New Mexico. 
  • Luzi Shi, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2020, is an assistant professor at the University of Rhode Island. 
  • Jason Silver, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2019, is an associate professor at Rutgers University-Newark. 
  • Paul Taylor, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2019, is an assistant professor at the University of Colorado, Denver.
  • Andrew Thompson, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice in 2022, is an assistant professor at the University of Montana.
  • Reyhan Topol, who graduated with a PhD in political science, is an assistant professor at Augusta University.  
  • Zheng Wang, who graduated with a PhD in political science, will be joining the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore as a visiting fellow.   
  • Charmaine Willis, who graduated with a PhD in political science in 2023, is an assistant professor at Old Dominion University. 
  • Sishi Wu, who graduated with a PhD in criminal justice, is an assistant professor at California State University, San Bernardino.